We both slept well last night. Gayla got up a few times during the early hours, but I didn’t roll out of bed until about 7:20 AM. With coffee in hand, we caught up with our daughter on the phone and eased into the morning with warm mugs and good conversation.
After our chat, we got right into our workday. I had a few podcast episodes to merge and some updates to make on the website. Gayla dove into her client work as well. Once my work was wrapped up, I decided it was the perfect time to set up my outdoor HAM shack while Gayla was on a video call with a client.
Conditions were great — I made my minimum of 10 contacts in just 11 minutes. I decided to keep going and ended the session with 27 total contacts across the 20m and 15m bands, all running just 10 watts of power. Not bad at all for a low-power portable setup!
After wrapping up the activation, we packed up camp and hit the road in search of a new site. We both felt like it was time for a change of scenery. We pulled out of our spot right around noon and spent the next few hours exploring parts of the forest we hadn’t yet visited. There was a loop road on the map that looked promising, so we followed it — until it got a little too “interesting.” We ended up doubling back the way we came.
By 3 PM, we found a promising campsite at the end of a forest road. It was quiet, tucked away, and had three fire rings — clearly a favorite stop for other campers in the past. There was also a nice, level spot to park. Perfect.
I was starving, so I got to work right away setting up the stove. We had beef brats and scrambled eggs with a side of bacon — a solid, satisfying low-carb meal.
With our bellies full, we put up the 10×15 awning to give us some shade for working outside. There was absolutely no cellular signal here, so we set up Starlink. Gayla jumped right back into work. I wasn’t going to interrupt her flow.
The dogs had their supper and curled up early, probably worn out from the drive and the new surroundings. I wandered around camp to take a few photos and was excited to find a Wavy-Leaf Paintbrush blooming nearby — a subtle but beautiful reminder of why we love being out here.
Tomorrow’s a lighter workday for us, and we’re planning to explore the area around this new camp. There are some amazing rock formations and boulders nearby that are just begging to be climbed or photographed.
Today’s Mileage: 24.76 miles
Trip Total: 941.28 miles
Let the adventure continue.
